It looks like the worst of the arctic weather is behind us and it’s finally starting to feel like spring. Similarly, the Maryland General Assembly has made it a long way from the completely virtual session of last year and is once again starting to feel more like it did before the start of the pandemic. We began the session …
Crossover Day ✓
Yesterday was crossover, the day by which bills need to pass one chamber to guarantee consideration by the other chamber. Crossover is an intense day as we try to get as many bills across the line as we can. We had two long floor sessions and one short one in the evening. In between floor sessions, I stopped by the …
HB832 Update
I wanted to give a quick update on HB832, the Homeschool Advisory Council bill. The hearing on the bill is this Thursday, March 3. The hearing starts at 1pm, but there are other bills and we may not be first. As I’ve been saying, I think that a public hearing is important because of the intense interest in this bill. …
HB832 Maryland Homeschool Advisory Council: Responses to Questions
I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to write to me or leave comments about HB832. I especially appreciate that most of the messages have been polite and thoughtful. I’m reading your messages, but it’s not physically possible to reply to every one, so I wanted to respond to some of the questions and concerns I’ve seen. …
Reproductive Rights
The radical right has never stopped attacking reproductive rights, but until now the nearly 50 years of precedent has held. But now that the right has succeeded in packing the Supreme Court with conservative activist justices, the right of a pregnant person to control their own body and their own choices is in serious jeopardy. In Maryland we are better …
Baltimore County Fair Maps
The Baltimore County Council will hold a hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4pm on the planned redistricting map for County Council and Board of Education districts for the next ten years. With Baltimore County population now 30% Black and 48% people of color, under the Voting Rights Act the county should have at least two majority Black districts and one majority-minority …
MTA Transportation Equity Hearings Starting Today
Last session I introduced the Transportation Equity Analyses and Assurances Act of 2021 to help build a more equitable transportation system in Maryland. Transportation plays a key role in employment, health, environment, and quality of life, and it’s important that Maryland’s transportation decisions are fair to all Marylanders regardless of race, income, or disability. Even though the bill didn’t pass, …
Security Square Mall Public Input Meeting
IMPORTANT public input opportunity TOMORROW! One of the biggest concerns I hear from constituents is about Security Square Mall. Although the mall is not in District 44B, our communities border on the mall, so 44B residents, including me, are rightly concerned about the current condition and future development of the mall property. I’m committed to helping to revitalize the mall, …
COVID-19 Update for August, 2021
Neighbors, As you may know, a new State of Emergency in Baltimore County was issued yesterday by County Executive Johnny Olszewski due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. We have seen over 1,500 new cases in the past two weeks alone. This number should be a stark reminder for everyone to not only follow federal, state, and local masking …
Wrap-Up of the 2021 Legislative Session
Happy Spring! Amidst more and more Marylanders receiving shots in arms and flowers starting to reach out the ground towards the sky, things feel more hopeful than when the year began. As you know, this legislative session was truly unique. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything from committee hearings to witness testimony to town hall meetings were virtual …